Interchangeable-letter sign.



A. FfBRANDENBURG. INTERCHANGEABLE LETTER SIGN.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I4. 1914- 1,159,465. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAI'H :0, WASHINGTON, D. c.

A. F. BRANDENBURG.

INTERCHANGEABLE LETTER SIGN. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1914.

1 1 59,465. Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH (20-. WAH|NQTON. D. c

ALBERT FOWLER BRANDENBURG, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF TO JGHN M. CHASE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

INTEBCHANGEABLE-LETTER SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Application filed September 14, 1914. Serial No. 861,576.

To all whom it may concern Be it'known that I, ALBERT FOWLER BRAN- DENBURG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interchangeable-Letter Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an interchangeable letter sign. And while my invention appertains to that class of signs generally, employing manufactured letters which are usually constructed out of porcelain, wood, and various kinds of similar materials, which from their nature produce a rigid and non-adjustable or non-yielding letter, and are used for display purposes in the windows and entrances of stores and public buildings; my invention however, directly relates to a system of expansible and contractible letters, the construction, as well as the material of which is such, that they are of an adjustable and yielding charactor, and which are intended more specifically for transparent signs, in which lights of variouskinds, and. of different colors, are placed in such position that their rays will strike the plaited or crimped folds of said letters, in shining or passing through the transparent portion or outlines of the letter proper, thereby producing letters having shaded or blended tints as desired.

Some of the principal objects of my invention consist,in providingmanufactured letters and spaces or space-sections ;-that is, that class of letters and spaces previously prepared, and which only need to be placed in proper position in constructing signs, and which are readily adjustable to the required space, and are so constructed that rays of light in passing or shining through the transparent portions of said letters,'or letters proper ;will be blended into attractive shades. Also,to provide letters and a system of construction for signs, whereby said letters and the space-portions to be used, can be arranged so as'tobe expanded or contracted according to the desired and necessary spacerequired for words or sentences to be displayed in an allotted space Also, to provide letters for signs, and a system of construction and arrangement of same, whereby said letters being adjustable to spaces of various widths, a less number of letters are required, thereby reducing the This invention consists essentially, re-

ferring briefly and in general terms to the combination of mechanical elements or parts which unite in making up my interchangeable letter sign, of the very peculiar combination, arrangement and construction of the various parts, and the minor details thereof, all of which hereinafter will be fully and specifically described and set forth in the subjoined claims, in accordance with the statutes in such cases made and provided therefor.

Referring to the accompanying drawings constituting a formal part of this specification, and illustrating one form of construction for carrying out the objects and principles of my invention, and wherein the same numerals and letters of reference are utilized to indicate and point out the same parts wherever occurring throughout the several views :Figure 1, is a View in front elevation, of an inclosing body or casing having therein, one of many forms and styles of display signs constructed in accordance with my invention, and illustrating the practical application of my interchangeable letter sign; and Figs. 2 and 3, are end views of the respective left and right ends of the body or inclosing casing containing the sign, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the inclosing body and the sign as shown in Fig. 1; the front to said body being removed so as to show the supporting frame and the sign, portions of said sign being removed and several hinged retaining sections being raised for the purposes of illustration. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the divisional retaining-bars; and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the divisional retaining-bar as shown in Fig. 5, but on a slightly enlarged scale. Fig. 7 is a perspecwhen united in operative position by means of the receiving-bar and the ho0king-bar of said sections. Fig. 9 is a broken away plan view of a portion of the supporting-frame; showinga portion of one of the hinged retaining'sections in raised position; a por- 1'1 tion of one of the retaining members and a portion of one of the divisional reta-lnlngbars. F 1g. 10 1s a plan view of a broken away portion of a spacing member, having additional spacing-member; and Fig. 14 is a combined receiving and hooking-bar. I In describing my said invention speclfically, and referrlng 111 detall to the various -mechanical parts or elements of construction, which combineto make up 'my interchangeable letter sign, as shown throughout the several views of the drawings and point ed out therein by means of the characters of reference as aforesaid ;21 refers toan inclosing casing or body having a removable front 22, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 8; the frame of said front is designed to be fitted with a pane or panel of glass 23, through which the sign to be displayed and which is inclosed therein, can readily be seen; as is shown in Fig. 1. Said inclosing casing may of course be of any style or design as desired, and so constructed as to adapt it for oil lamps; gasior electric lights; or in fact any class of lights according to the circumstances or conditions; and while said casing is of great service in connection with my system of adjustable letters for signs, it is no direct feature of my invention, as it will hereinafter become obvious that the same can be used without an inclosing casing or body around my signs and the lights placed behind them. In

this instance, the style of said inclosing casing or body here shown, is adapted for electric lights. However, my signs may be employed without lights when so desired.

Directly behind the removable front 22 of inclosing casing 21, so as to be clearly seen through the glass of said front,is suitably supported in any well known and removable manner,not necessary to be here shown as it is no part of this invention,the supporting frame A, which is provided with knobs a or other means for removing from said casing and upon which is marked a graduated scale of inches and fractions thereof as indicated by a.

Supporting frame A may be constructed out of wood or metal, or in fact any suitable material adapted to have connected to it the two retaining-members b, one of which extends the entire length of each of the long sides thereof. Y 1

While I have here shownretaining members b of a form similar to a coil spring, it

will readily be understood that I do not eX- pect to limit or confine myself to this style of retaining members, as in fact any form of bars that are adaptable-similar to the retaining-members here shown,to receive the ends of the connecting-bars with which the edges of the letter-sections, as wellasthe space-sections are provided, might be employed as fully shown in Fig. 7.

In Figs. 1 and a of the drawings, forthe purposes of illustrating the manner in which letter-sections 0 and space-sections (Z, are to bedisplayed when assembled into words and sentences, in the practical application of my interchangeable lettersign, I have shown a sign containing said spacesections, and letter sections having the proper letters thereon to .read,5-Its-asuccess.

It will Of course be readily understood that letterfsectilons c and space-sections d are intended in practice to be exactly alike, with the exception that said letter-sections are to have the letter, number, or some character outlined thereon, sothat thelight will readily shine therethrough, while the ground-work orsiirrounding portion of said sections constituting the background, is to be of a solid color, or sutliciently so that the light will notpenetrate or shine through; while said space-sections are intended to have their entire surface of a solid color, or sufficiently dark so there will be no transparent portion. Said sections 0 and (Z are intended in practice to be constructed out of fabric; strong tough paper; or in fact any tough thin grade of material sufliciently flexible and yielding in its character to be pressed or formed into a plaited, fluted, or criinped body, as fully and clearly shown in Figs. 1, 4, 7 and 8; by meanbfwhich said sections are susceptible of being readily expanded or contracted so as to be adjustable to the allotted space in supporting frame A, as can readily be understood. Said material is of course to be of quality through which any light will easily penetrate or shine, so that the letters or characters outlined uponthe' letter-sections will be transparent. V

. Letter-sections a and space-sections (Z are each provided along one of the edges, with a receiving-bar e, constructed preferably, out of thin sheet metal and formed with a hook f, the ends 6 of which extend sufficiently beyond the section so as to rest in one of the recesses of retaining-members b,- one of which is located on one of two of the sides of supporting frame A, as heretofore. referred to; while the opposite edge" of each .of said sections is provided with a hookingbar g, also preferably constructed out of thin sheet metal, which extends the entire length thereof, as is more clearlyishown in detail inFig. 7. Hooking-bar g is formed with a hook h, which engages the hook f of the connecting-bar e of the section coming-just before it, when said sections are assembled together in operative position; see Figs. 1, 4 and 8.

It will here be noted, that by reason of sections 0 and (Z being plaited or crimped, said sections can be expanded or contracted so as to adjust themselves as desired, .to take up the allotted space in supporting-frame A; and by meansof graduated scale a, the exact point or recess in said retaining-members in which to insert the ends- 6 of connecting-bars e of said sections, will be indicated.

In Fig. '14, I have shown a combined connecting and hooking-bar I, constructed out of a thin resilient metal, which is in the form of a long hook; and when the end i of its long arm is placed in engagement with the hooked end 6 of its other arm, the adjacent edges of two of said sections will be firmly clasped between the two arms of bar I and securely but removably connected, while its ends will project sufficiently beyond said plaited sections, so as to rest securely but removably in the recesses of retaining-members b,when assembled,the same as said connecting-bars; thus taking the place of the connecting-bar e and the hooking-bar 9, when so desired.

For the purpose of preventing the upper and lower or free edges'of sections 0 and (Z pressing or bulging outward, retaining-sections are hinged at Z to said supportingframe, so as to be raised when opened for the insertion of the plaited sections when assembling same in position in said frame, or the disconnecting and removal of the plaited sections from said frame; and when the plaited sections are assembled and the sign is completed, retainingsections 7c are turned or folded down; these positions be ing clearly shown in Fig. 4.

When it is desired in accordance with my system, to construct a sign having more than one row of reading matter, extending the entire length of said sign or only partially so; as illustrated in Figs. 1 and a by the words-Itsa, I employ a spacingmember m, as shown in detail in Figs. 10 and 11, which is similar to retaining-members b, and which receives the ends 6 of connecting-bars e of the plaited-sections in its recesses, in like manner as heretofore described; the plaited sections in this instance of course being much shorter. Spacingmember m, is soldered or otherwise suitably secured to a base a, which is provided at its ends with a hook 0, said member being further provided at its ends with a spring-lip pconstructed out of thin resilient metal,- adapted to allow hook 0 to engage the hook of the divisional. retaining-bar 1*, while said lip will bear against said bar. Base a of said spacing-member has its ends formed with an extension 70, one of which is fully and clearly shown in Fig. 11,and which enters the slot 8 formed in each end of a covering 2, for the spacing-member on: see Fig. 12. The ends r see Fig. 5,-of said divisional retaining-bar are adapted to be retained in the recesses of the retaininginembers Z), the same as the connecting-bars c, both of said bars being very much alike; and'connect with spacingsections (Z and let ter-sections c by means of the connectingbar e and hookingbar g of said sections in like manner. 7

In Fig. 13, I have shown spacing-member or without hooks o and spring lips 19; and in this instance the spring coils of said bar will now take the place of and perform the functions of the hooks 0 and the lips 79.

Having now described my interchangeable letter signin connection with the illustrations,as my invention and as new: I claim 1. The combination in an interchangeable letter sign,of a supporting-frame pro vided with retaining-members; a sign located within said frame made up of flexible letter-sections and flexible space-sections, said sections having a hooked connection one with the other and being removably and adjustably supported on the retaining-members of said frame and being expansible and contractible therein; all substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. The combination in an interchangeable letter sign,of a supporting-frame provided with retaining-members; detachably connected flexible letter and flexible spacesections removably and adjustably supported on said retaining-members, said sections being constructed in crimped folds so as to be expanded and contracted as desired, all substantially for the purposes herein described.

An interchangeable letter sign,comprising a suitable inclosing body; a supportingframe provided with retaining members located within said body; flexible letter-sections and flexible space-sections removably supported within said frame l; y said retaining members, said sections being crimped so as to be sufficiently yielding, whereby they can be expanded and contracted to fit the allotted space in said frame; all substantially as described.

l. In an interchangeable letter sign, the combination of a supporting-f 'ame provided with retaining members and graduated scales; flexible letter-sections and flexible space-sections detachably connected and provided with connecting-bars by which they are removably retained in position on said retaining members, said sections being formed in plaited folds so as to be expanded or contracted within. said supporting-frame as indicated by said graduated scales; all substantially as described.

5. In an interchangeable letter sign, a supporting frame, flexible letter bearing sections and flexible space sections of approximately the same height as said frame and detachably connected to each other; retaining members at opposite sides of the frame, remorably and detachably supporting said flexible sections in place in the frame; a spacing member Within said frame and sup ported from and between the retaining members; rows of shorter flexible letter bearing sections and flexible space sections support- Copies of this patent may be obtained for ed by said retaining members and spacing member, all of said sections being expansible and contractible Within said supportingframe, graduated scales carried by said frame for indicating the space each flexible section is to occupy; and retaining sections carried by the frame for retaining said flexible sections within the frame.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

V ALBERT FOWLER BRANDENBURG.

Witnesses: r

C. A. FUNKT-IAUSER,

NELLIE L. Ni'iTTENDonr.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of'Paten-ts, Washington, D. G. 

